Syrian protests caused by Kurdish leader’s death
If nonviolence doesn’t work, protesters may use the Libyan model.
Over 50,000 people flooded the streets of a Syrian city yesterday in response to the assassination of a prominent opposition leader, the Associated Press reports.
Mourners were headed to the funeral of the Kurdish leader, Mashaal Tammo, when security forces opened fire on the crowd in Qamishli, killing five people, the New York Times reports.
"All of Qamishli is out today. The funeral is turning into a massive protest," Kurdish activist Mustafa Osso told The Associated Press.
The crowds that made up the funeral procession were one the largest in weeks since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in the last seven months. Ignoring the gunfire, they continued to call on Assad to step down, chanting “Leave! Leave!” the Associated Press reports.
The latest uprising was sparked by the recent death of activist Tammo, who was killed yesterday. Activists and relatives said he was killed by four masked gunmen who stormed his house on Friday, reports the New York Times.
The Syrian media said Tammo was killed by “armed terrorist groups” due to his opposition to foreign intervention in Syria, BBC reports. Tammo’s son and another Kurdish activist were wounded during the shooting, too.
Tammo, the founder of the liberal Kurdish Future Movement party, had recently been released after spending more than two years in jail, BBC reports. He was an outspoken critic of Assad.
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